Can't Stay Away
by Crazy4TR112
Summary: Ashley and Jimmy start dating again. Others aren't happy 'bout it. Meanwhile, Emma is playing around with Chris and Marco suspects Dylan of having feelings for someone else.
1. Prologue

**Can't Stay Away**   
Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters.   


Prologue   
  


"Hopefully, I'm safe in assuming you all are finished reading Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing." Mrs. Kwan faced her 11th grade class somewhat sternly. "For your assignment, I will be partnering you up and the two of you will write a poem to present to class your interpretation of the play."   
She paused waiting for the students to finish their groans and quiet complaints.   
"Hazel," she started.   
Hazel smiled hopefully at Jimmy.   
"You and Gavin will be working together."   
Her smile fell only slightly and she shrugged a bit.   
"Paige and Marco will work together."   
They exchanged smiles, satisfied.   
"Ashley, you'll work with Jimmy."   
Spinner stifled a laugh as Jimmy looked over at Ashley, who was looking anywhere but at him.   


End of Prologue   



	2. Determination and Understanding

Part One: Determination & Understanding  


The bell rang, dismissing the juniors from Kwan's class. Ashley made her way to Jimmy, somewhat reluctantly. They regarded each other awkwardly.  
"Hey," he greeted her.  
"Hey… Do you want to meet at my house after school?"  
"Yeah, sure. After school," he agreed.  
Ashley nodded and walked out of the room. Jimmy watched her leave, wondering about this strange feeling he had about working with her. 

Emma and Manny were stretching on the mats in the gym. Every now and then Chris would look over at them and he and Emma would exchange smiles and waves and winks. Manny eyed Emma.  
"Em, how long do you plan on keeping up this thing with Chris?"  
"I don't know," she said carelessly. "I'll probably break it off soon."  
Her voice trailed off as she saw Liberty talking with Chris. She was nudging him a little and saying something that made him smile. He said something back and they both laughed. Emma frowned.  
"Let me guess," Manny said. "You'll break up with him when Liberty's out of the picture?"  
Emma nodded decisively. She knew Liberty wouldn't make a move while she was dating Chris; it wasn't Liberty's style.  
"Emma…" Manny started somewhat tentatively. "Liberty really likes Chris, and you're using him. I mean, did you ever really think about their feelings?"  
"Oh, like you can talk, Manny. Did you ever think about Ashley's feelings when you hooked up with Craig?"  
"It's not the same thing," Manny said, offended.  
Emma rolled her eyes.  
"Right. Of course it isn't."  
The two girls turned their backs to each other and continued stretching, neither speaking to the other for the rest of the period. 

Ellie and Ashley walked side by side through the school hallways on their way to the cafeteria.  
"So, Sean and I are renting a bunch of movies to watch tonight with a big bowl of popcorn," Ellie said, smiling at her friend. "Care to join?"  
"Sounds like fun, but Jimmy and I are working on our assignment together tonight." She sighed a little.  
"You don't sound too excited about it," Ellie noted. "I thought you and Jimmy were cool."  
"We are…for short periods, like when we have band rehearsal, but…things are still a little weird. At least, they are for me."  
They entered the cafeteria and Ellie watched Ashley look over at Jimmy momentarily, and then avert her gaze. "Did you ever think that you might still like him?"  
Ashley laughed.  
"No way. It's been a long time since we were together. Trust me, I don't feel that way anymore."  
"Okay," Ellie said as they carried their trays over to a table. "If you're sure."  
"Positive," Ashley said, but whether she was assuring Ellie or herself, she didn't know. 

The school dismissal bell rang and the students started to file out of Degrassi for the day. Emma, bag strapped onto one shoulder, was walking down the hall to leave when she was Liberty walking towards her. She stopped, then realized exactly who Liberty was actually walking to: Chris, as he stood at his locker, oblivious to both girls. Emma frowned, and then quickly started walking to Chris herself. Liberty picked up the pace, but Emma got to him first.  
"Hi Chris," she smiled at him.  
"Hey, Em—" he started to greet her, before she pressed her lips to his soundly. Vaguely, she heard the sound of whistles and catcalls and she reminded herself that this was something the old Emma, the lame Emma, wouldn't have done. That was good. When she pulled away, Chris looked slightly dazed, but pleased.  
"You wanna go grab a milkshake?" she asked him, batting her eyelashes for good measure.  
"Sure," he readily agreed, placing a hand on her back as they walked out of the school.  
Emma looked over her shoulder at the place Liberty had been. When she saw she was gone, she smiled triumphantly.  
  
Jimmy and Ashley worked for hours on their assignment. Ashley had no idea it would take this long to write a single poem, but they seemed to disagree on some things about the play. Jimmy had to admit, her arguments were very convincing. After she explained her side, he actually began to understand it. And as the time passed, he actually began to understand her.  
"Jimmy, they couldn't have fallen in love just because their friends forced them together. That isn't how love works. Obviously, they were already in love with each other and they just needed help from outside forces, their friends, in order to realize it."  
"I hadn't thought about it like that, Ash. That really makes sense."  
Ashley frowned a little bit.  
"You don't have to give in like that, you know."  
"I'm not," he assured her. "I really agree with you."  
Ashley allowed herself to smile, hearing the sincerity in his voice. He smiled back and the two got back to work.  
When they finished, it was dark outside. Ashley had told Jimmy he could stay until one of her parents could drive him home, and he thanked her but said he had to get home soon and he was fine walking. When he got home, he instantly missed the warmth of her house. It was always so welcoming and friendly at her house, much unlike the silence of his empty place. He really missed her house. He really missed her.  
With a sigh, he sat on the couch and thought. He thought about Ashley. After their last breakup, he acted like everything was cool. He remained friends with Craig, pushing aside the jealousy he felt while he and Ashley dated. Even when she and Craig broke up for the final time, he didn't do anything, knowing Craig still felt for her and thinking Ashley wasn't completely him either. Plus, there was Hazel. He and Hazel had felt a connection that Saturday in detention. But he couldn't deny the feelings for Ashley.  
He wandered into his room and found the old picture of him and Ashley that he used to have in his locker. He gazed at it and found himself wishing it could be that way again. It was like in that play, he realized. He had loved Ashley all along and he just needed an outside force, Kwan's assignment, in order to realize it. He decided, right then and there, that tomorrow he was going to break things off with Hazel and tell Ashley how he felt. And maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way. 

End of Part One 


	3. Break Ups

Part Two: Break Ups   


  


  
Jimmy was determined. He wasn't exactly psyched about breaking up with Hazel, but he had never been so sure about how he was feeling. He was in love with Ashley and he was going to show her that.   
It wasn't long before he encountered Hazel on his walk to school. He picked up the pace until he was walking beside her. She smiled up at him and he managed to smile back.   
"Hey, Jimmy! It's too bad we weren't partnered in Kwan's class. Maybe next time, huh?"   
"Yeah maybe," he replied, somewhat distant.   
Hazel looked over at him.   
"Is everything okay, Jimmy?"   
Jimmy hesitated. If he broke up with Hazel in order to ask out Ashley, only to find out she doesn't feel that way, where that leave him? He'd look like a hopeless idiot with no girlfriend.   
'But', he reminded himself, 'there's no away Ash would go out with me if I was still with Hazel. How heartless would I seem, doing the same thing to Hazel that Craig did to her?'   
"Jimmy?" Hazel's worried voice cut into his thoughts.   
"Hazel…I, uh…I think we should break up," he said finally.   
He made himself look at her. She definitely was not smiling, but she wasn't exactly frowning either.   
"Oh. Okay," she said in a tone Jimmy couldn't describe.   
"I'm sorry, Hazel. I just don't feel the, uh, the chemistry anymore."   
"No, it's okay. I understand."   
Jimmy was relieved.   
"So, we're cool?"   
"Yeah." Hazel nodded. "We're cool."   
She smiled at him and received a smile in response, but when he wasn't looking, her lip gloss-painted smile fell considerably.   


"So, Emma," Manny said, standing with her friend as she got something from her locker. "Movie Night tonight at my place. You coming?"   
"Definitely."   
"Great!" Manny smiled. "How about you, Liberty" she asked as said girl walked by.   
Emma closed her locker and didn't even attempt to give Liberty a friendly glance. Liberty stopped and looked back at them.   
"Thanks, but no thanks, Manny. I've got a date tonight with that cute new guy in grade ten," she informed them and kept walking.   
Emma looked at Manny.   
"Did you hear that? Liberty's got a date! That means she's obviously gotten over Chris."   
"Obviously," Manny said, though she wasn't too sure.   
"That means I can break up with Chris," Emma concluded with a small sigh of relief. "For good this time."   
Manny watched Emma walk off to find him and rolled her eyes. 

Kwan was pleased with Jimmy and Ashley's work and gave them both an A. Hazel tried not to notice that the big smile he gave Ashley was the same kind of smile he had given her just yesterday. When the bell rang, Ashley and Ellie started to walk out of the room together.   
"Ashley, wait up!" Jimmy called out to her.   
The two girls stopped and looked back at him. He walked up to them, smiling.   
"Hey, Ash, could I talk to you for a sec?"   
"Um, sure." Ashley looked at Ellie, who shrugged and walked on to her next class.   
Ashley awkwardly met his eyes.   
"So…what's up?"   
"Hazel and I broke up," he said after a moment.   
"I'm sorry, Jimmy," she said sympathetically. "What happened?"   
"I wasn't really feeling her anymore. I didn't think we…connected anymore. Actually…I was feeling a connection with someone else…"   
Ashley could tell where this was going. Her heart was racing, but she wasn't sure this was a good thing or a bad thing.   
"And I was wondering if that someone would like to go out sometime…go catch a movie or something? What do you think?"   
Ashley swallowed. The bell rang again and she jumped a little. She smiled weakly at him.   
"I, uh…I'm gonna be late for next period. I'll…I'll get back to you, okay?"   
She walked around him, focusing all her attention on the floor so she wouldn't feel the sad and rejected gaze on her back as she walked away.   


End of Part Two 

A/N: Thank so so so so so so much to everyone who reviewed! I was not expecting such kind words for my first Degrassi fic! I'm sorry this chapter was so short. The next one will be longer and will finish up the Emma and Chris subplot so the chapter after will start the Marco and Dylan subplot. I hope you keep reading and reviewing! 


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